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Educators

Our Educators

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Natascha de Groot

Wombats Teacher
3 year old group

Natascha is new to the Arrabri team. She joined in March 2025.

​Natascha is an experienced Early Childhood teacher who has worked in both long day care and sessional kindergartens for the past 20 years. She loves watching children grow and learn and is passionate about providing a stimulating and nurturing environment in which children can explore, develop social connections and most importantly learn through play. She is a mother of 3 and is excited that she has returned to Arrabri after 15 years of raising children and teaching elsewhere.

Johanna Curtain
Kangaroos Educator
4 year old group

Johanna has been teaching at Arrabri since 2011 and holds a Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining Arrabri, Johanna worked at a long daycare centre for 7 years. She is creative and enjoys art-based projects. As part of her teaching philosophy, she believes children’s social and emotional skills are very important in the development of their dispositions and school readiness. Johanna is also passionate about providing a welcoming environment that respects diversity, inclusiveness. she is currently the Educational Leader at Arrabri.

Caitlin Smith 
Wombats Teacher
3 year old group

Caitlin is also new to the Arrabri team. She also joined in March 2025 and is sharing the teaching responsibilities with Natascha. 
Caitlin holds a Master of Teaching and has been teaching in kindergarten and Primary School settings for 6 years. 
Caitlin loves working with children because she admires their endless energy, their honesty, adaptability, resilience, creative minds and curiosity for the world in which they live.
Caitlin feels honoured to get to be a part of children’s learning and development. 
‘What makes the journey so special is that I learn so much from children every day, which continues to inspire me as a teacher’.

Our Co-Educators

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Vickie Butler 
Wombats Co-Educator 
3 year old group

Vickie joined Arrabri in 2023 as a relief educator, before taking the position in the wombats 3 year old group in 2024.
She holds an advance diploma in Early Childhood and has been in this field for over 40 years, both here and in NZ where she is from.
She has been in her previous job in Maroondah for over 18 years before joining Arrabri.
She has 4 children and loves to travel and the beach.
She believes in the importance of creating relationships with the children and families, learning through play and has a love for the natural environment and sustainability.

Marita Mills
Kangaroos Co-Educator 
4-year-old

Marita has been in this role at Arrabri for over 10 years and has worked alongside Johanna for all this time. For Marita, Arrabri represents her love and passion for community, and she feels privileged to be a part of it. She finds her role rewarding because of opportunity to walk alongside the children as they explore their own interests and develop their self-confidence. Reaching the end of the kinder year and witnessing the children's growth is fulfilling for Marita.

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